Adventures in Moving Part 2: A Happier Update

It’s been a while since I posted an update and since at the last time I wrote we were in the depths of illness and depression, I didn’t want to leave you all in suspense any longer than I already have.

Right after my last blog post, we mostly did recover from illness, and started feeling more normal. Unfortunately, Ben spent much of his birthday weekend sick with what we believe was food poisoning from the restaurant we went to for a date. In sickness and in health…

We closed on our house in Michigan on January 13. We had a stellar group of people working on our behalf to get it done quickly. A typical closing is about 45 days and we did it in just under 30.

Ben and I spent the first night cleaning shelves and getting ready for the movers to come unload our truck the next day. The unloading went well and while a few things were damaged, nothing major was broken or unfixable. We were concerned about leaving the piano in the truck for a month, but it still sounds quite good and will sound better once it gets tuned tomorrow.

Moving the piano out of the truck was a lot easier than moving it into the truck!

Ben’s parents graciously kept the girls at their house the first couple days we were here and brought them up on Friday the 15th. The girls ran up and down and all around that house and were so exhausted they went to bed easily and slept well. They’ve enjoyed having their own rooms.

Naomi in her roomPrincess Lizzie in her roomKyria in her room

The first Saturday we were here, we had an unpacking party. Ben invited some friends from work and church over so we had 8 people here at one point or another unpacking boxes and putting things away. We were able to set up the kitchen and unpack a lot in the basement.

Last weekend we unpacked a lot more toys, so the basement has definitely turned into the playroom.

The very colorful playroom

We found the hand puppets, which means Kyria has been busy writing plays. Last night Ben and I were treated to the first puppet show, which featured 19th century slave and poet Phyllis Wheatley along with several aliens.

The girls presented “Time Machine” in the first puppet theater show in the new house

This weekend we took advantage of the warmer (45 degree) weather to go to Frankenmuth for their 25th annual Snowfest, which featured many impressive snow and ice sculptures, though not at their best in the warmer weather. The biggest draw for the girls were the pony rides and looking at toys in some of the local shops. However, considering the complaints about the cold and so much walking, it may be awhile before we drag kids outdoors for “family fun” time again.

Lizzie riding a pony at SnowfestNaomi riding a pony at SnowfestKyria and Naomi with the snow eagleKyria riding a pony at Snowfest

We are plugging away at homeschooling. The big event of the week was receiving our shipment of Singapore math books. The colorful illustrations and easier review material was a strong incentive for the girls to breeze through the suggested first 3-4 weeks of lessons by Friday. Over the last couple days, Naomi has begged me to do school with her math activity book right after breakfast.

Tuesday night I was able to get out for a few hours and join a small group of other homeschooling moms to talk about various things. It was encouraging to be around other moms who don’t have it all together either; to encourage, to be encouraged, to help and be helped.

This coming week will be our busiest so far, with a play date Tuesday, the AWANA Grand Prix at church on Wednesday (Kyria will race a pinewood derby car and Lizzie will race a matchbox car), a hands-on science class at the local nature center Thursday, and a sample piano lesson Friday with one of the teachers we’re considering for Kyria.

We are settling in well and enjoying the friendliness of people in the area. It will take a while to develop close friendships, but that’s to be expected. I’m thankful that the girls have been playing well together. One of my goals for homeschooling was to a tighter-knit family and I think this move has helped accomplish that. We’re so grateful for our new home, for being healthy again, for new friends here, and for our friends and family in Colorado and across the country. We are abundantly blessed!

The girls dance to Ben’s musicBen and the girls celebrate the Broncos’ AFC Championship